Checkmate, vegans.
Plants “panic” when it rains
41–50 of 92 posts
Re: Plants “panic” when it rains
#42The instruction to pour water straight into the pot, and not onto the plant, always struck me as odd. Maybe it’s one of those small ancient nuggets of knowledge that we struggle to justify but just work. Might be a big leap still, but reactions like the one from this paper could justify not spraying water all over my house plants.
I wonder would pouring water onto the leaves of chilis plants encourage it to produce hotter peppers?
The substance that makes chilis spicy is a natural anti fungal.
Re: Plants “panic” when it rains
#43What defences do plants use in this case? Article describes why but not what.
Re: Plants “panic” when it rains
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not all of us use your personal dictionary.
Are there times when "panic" is an appropriate response to something? I mean it is often an understandable response, but I have to agree that my understanding of the term is that is a response to being overwhelmed and responding haphazardly as a result. Is that an accurate description of what's happening? The actual article is a bit light to really understand. I wonder if it's the "chain reaction" across individual t…
Panic: a sudden overpowering fright
Fright: fear excited by sudden danger
...
Panic: a sudden overpowering fear excited by sudden danger
Re: Plants “panic” when it rains
#45> "One of the chemicals produced is a hormone called jasmonic acid that is used to send signals between plants," Professor Millar said.
Would this be "that smell" that sometimes lingers after rain fall?
Re: Plants “panic” when it rains
#46> "One of the chemicals produced is a hormone called jasmonic acid that is used to send signals between plants," Professor Millar said. Would this be "that smell" that sometimes lingers after rain fall?
Maybe you’re referring to the smell of “petrichor”, which comes from the soil getting wet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrichor
Re: Plants “panic” when it rains
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
A defense mechanism that is triggered by a hormone? Doesn't seem terribly far off
He makes an interesting point. Some plants have a response to rain triggered by a hormone. To ascribe the term panic to it though might possibly be mischaracterizing the response because of the tendency to anthropomorphize.
Well we don't really have words to describe plant behavior. I agree, we can't view plants through an animalian lense, but at the same time we have to use the words we have to discuss them. I think it's fair to say plant "panic" is different than animal "panic" but from what I read, panic seems to be the closest analogue.
Re: Plants “panic” when it rains
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are there times when "panic" is an appropriate response to something? I mean it is often an understandable response, but I have to agree that my understanding of the term is that is a response to being overwhelmed and responding haphazardly as a result. Is that an accurate description of what's happening? The actual article is a bit light to really understand. I wonder if it's the "chain reaction" across individual t…
If panic was never appropriate, the ability to panic either would never have developed or disappeared in humans a long time ago.
Only if it was sufficiently detrimental, and did not arise as a byproduct of other, evolutionarily beneficial changes.
If it had "disappeared in humans a long time ago" then that still implies a time when it existed. And if it could have existed, it could exist now.
Re: Plants “panic” when it rains
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
A defense mechanism that is triggered by a hormone? Doesn't seem terribly far off
Except "panic" means an ultimately self destructive overreaction. At least in my personal dictionary.
In my personal dictionary "panic" means "of or relating to pans" so clearly everyone in this thread is wrong.
Re: Plants “panic” when it rains
#50Honestly, same.